Bloomington Longview-Kelso

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Bloomington to Longview-Kelso is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.5 to 97.5 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $149/mo.

+$6,548
BLS median salary higher in Longview-Kelso
277 to 329
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14:1 to 17.6:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,730
DOL infant care higher / yr in Longview-Kelso

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 93.5 → 97.5
Rent Delta: +$149/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $7K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - 4% higher cost of living
  • - $149/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 93.5 to 97.5 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $149/mo ($1,788/yr) from $1,302 in Bloomington to $1,451 in Longview-Kelso.

Bloomington still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Longview-Kelso sits #118 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (top third of the corpus). Bloomington is #143/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,548 higher ($66,137 → $72,685). Labor-market size: 70,320 tracked jobs at origin vs 34,650 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Illinois scores 58 (D, #31/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Bloomington
Longview-Kelso
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 93.5
RPP 97.5
Bloomington
Rent (2BR)
$1,302/mo
$1,451/mo
Bloomington
Wages
$66,137
$72,685
Longview-Kelso
Crime
277 per 100K
329 per 100K
Bloomington
Schools
14:1
17.6:1
Bloomington
Childcare
$12,257/yr
$15,987/yr
Bloomington
Environment
3029 violations
2879 violations
Longview-Kelso

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46
Destination state · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Bloomington to see what you'd need to earn in Longview-Kelso to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Longview-Kelso
-

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026